Friday, November 9, 2012

Oysters and French Children

Flying through Normandy at top speed, too fast to keep up with the map. It seems like every village and town is listed, no matter that they are only 500 meters apart and contain 10 houses and one church each. Within 20 minutes we've passed through Bonneville, Trouville, Deauville, Blonville, and Villers-sur-mer. Bam, bam, bam.

We had our "off" day in Deauville/Trouville. The towns are a famous seaside resort from the turn of the century, apparently escaping the heavy bombing that the other coastal towns got in the wars (such as Le Havre, completely destroyed). Now, it's peaceful and popular, especially for its seafood. The beaches are literally covered in THOUSANDS of shells--mussels, clams, scallops--if that gives you any idea.

Beach by our hotel in Deauville

They go "crunch" when you walk.

It was a sweet walk, excellent fish market. We ate fresh raw oysters with white wine next to the market stall rather than sitting in a restaurant. Followed it up with the signature fromages of the area, which we combined with dried sausage and apples, le pain et moutarde stolen from breakfast in our hotel room.

On the way back, I took some clandestine recordings. I couldn't resist the kids playing by the sea. Are French kids cuter because they speak French?